Darnell Wright keeps forcing his way into the conversation, and the latest reminder came in Week 10 against the New York Giants. On a play that helped set up Caleb Williams’ critical pass to tight end Colston Loveland, Wright stood up Brian Burns and made one of the league’s most productive edge rushers look completely out of place.
Burns finished last season with 16.5 sacks, the second-highest total in the league, and plenty of offensive tackles have felt the heat from his quick spin move. Wright didn’t just absorb it. He stayed with the rush, showed the kind of foot quickness you don’t usually expect from a man his size, and then finished the rep with pure force.
That block had people talking again, and it fit the larger picture of what Wright has become for Chicago. He earned Second Team All-Pro honors for last season, but he still hasn’t made a Pro Bowl, which remains a glaring omission.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com recently named the non-quarterback MVP for each NFC team, and he went with Wright for the Bears. Patra wrote, "The Bears finally employed a sexy offense last season, which overshadowed Wright’s ascension toward the top of the right tackle rankings.
The 325-pounder has improved in each of his three seasons as both a road grader and pass protector. He shined in Year 1 under Ben Johnson, generating a career-best 3.8 percent pressure rate allowed last year, per Pro Football Focus (a shade below first-team All-Pro Penei Sewell’s 3.3 percent figure).
Wright has the tools to continue climbing the charts as one of the best blockers in the NFL. At the very least, the man should earn a Pro Bowl nod after being snubbed last season."
That kind of recognition makes sense. Wright has become one of the Bears’ most important players, and the drop-off from him to a backup would be hard to ignore. If there’s a gap between Williams and Tyson Bagent, the one from Wright to his replacement could be even more dramatic.
For now, Wright may still be a little under the radar nationally. But that’s changing fast. He’s starting to look like exactly what the Bears need him to be: a long-term core piece, and one of the best right tackles in football.
In Other News...
Ryan Poles May Finally Have A Real Fix For Bears Fans' Biggest Complaint
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Bleacher Reports Kristopher Knox pointed to a possible bargain route if the Bears want to keep exploring the market, citing a Dallas pass rusher on a one-year deal who could fit as a low-cost swing for help. The idea is simple enough for a team still hunting answers on the edge: a modest trade price and a manageable contract could make the move palatable, even if Chicago would still be betting on a player coming off a major injury setback. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Camp Already Has A Defensive Problem Fans Feared
The first day of Bears training camp brought the kind of roster housekeeping that can tell you a lot about where a team stands before anyone even puts on pads. Chicago opened camp by moving linebacker T.J. Edwards to the Active/Non-Football Injury list and placing five more players on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list, a reminder that the defense is already juggling more health questions than it would like this early in the summer.
For a unit trying to build under Dennis Allen, the timing matters. Several of the names involved are key to the depth chart, and the injuries are a mix of fresh issues and lingering recovery work from last season, which makes the opening weeks of camp more about sorting availability than sharpening the scheme. The Bears can live with a few absences in July, but they would prefer not to spend the start of camp searching for answers in the same part of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Poles May Be Eyeing A Hidden Fix For Bears Depth
With training camp getting close, the Bears took a look at six players in a workout that leaned heavily toward the back end of the roster. Four defensive backs were among the group, along with an offensive tackle and a guard, a clear sign the team is still sorting through depth options before the real competition begins.
The most intriguing name in the mix was Ben Te Kura, whose path to football is far from ordinary. A former rugby player, he is being evaluated as a possible long-term conversion project, the kind of developmental swing teams sometimes take when they think there might be untapped upside hiding in plain sight. [Read more 🡒]